Chapter 3

Katherine sighed as she skated to the edge of the pond and took off her ice skates switching to her winter boots. As she walked back into town she was cautious and wary enough to go into the shadows and denser treeline. A grown woman about 22 came out of the woods at the edge of town. It wouldn't do for anyone to know that Katherine Oergose could change her age from 12 up to 25.

As the new children's librarian in Burgess, she had to keep a low profile, the early and night ice skating was risky at best. She liked to see the moon and the stars if clouds weren't blocking them. It made her safe, in a bittersweet way. As she went into her small house and started getting ready for the day, she wondered about her life. She woke up 300 years ago with a petrified pitch black stone statue of a butterfly book complete with glasses on the butterfly's face. She nicknamed him Qwerty and he lived on her fireplace mantle.

After her shower and changing into fancier work clothes then normal, she smiled as a soft honk and a flutter of a baby goose landing heavily on the kitchen counter as she stirred cream into her coffee. The goose looking at her with wide eyes, begging for breakfast. She found an egg in part of the clearing she woke up with, and hatched it. She named the goose who seemed to grow and change with her, Kailash. Kailash was her only steadfast companion throughout the lonely 300 years without her memory. The only thing she could recall that she loved books and had a good writing hand.

As she took her keys off of the key rack by the front door, after feeding her little one, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. A heart shaped face, with soft gray eyes looked back at her, her auburn hair in a high braid swung down to her shoulders. Dressed in a lovely green dress and red cloak her only jewelry was some curious crystal teardrop earrings that was with her when she woke up the first time.

Katherine had a date tonight so she wanted to make sure she look presentable. Besides it was her "Mother Goose" day outfit. The one time that she could bring Kailash and show off Qwety. She couldn't wait to tell her original stories to the children. She went off to her job with a cheerful heart.

Jack pestered Bunny for clean water, since his always went to frost, to wash his clothes, while Santa snow globed the other guardians to the Warren. Jack still didn't know why they went there. Santa's workshop would have been better or at least straight to Tooth's palace. More sunny at least. Washing off his pants was a breeze, but he had to take off his hoodie to really get the colors off. The drawings were with North since Jack threw them just as he landed in the stream. As Jack took off his hoodie, he brushed against some uneven stitching. He took a closer look once it was off and gasped. He reverently moved his fingers across the three names stitched on his hoodie. Anna, Jacknoick and Jack Frost.

As he did so fragments of memories teased at him. His brother and sister laughing at him, the snow fort that they built. Other memories remained hidden, but the love shown through. He still didn't know how he felt or knew Katherine but his family, he knew he was loved and was deeply loved in return. Like a real boy with a real family. That family continued with Jamie and the guardians.

North's loud boom of laughter made him jump. Dashing out of the grove of trees he used for privacy, Jack skidded to a stop as North continued to laugh, happy tears streaming down his face. "I got another memory of Katherine, she was flying a reindeer through the sky. No wonder, I said that believe is like seeing the reindeer fly for the first time. Katherine was the first one to believe in me and believe is what keeps us strong. She was my first friend. As Ombric was my first magic mentor. Ombric was his name, the old bearded staff man."

The other guardians froze in what they were doing. Bunny paused in decorating an egg, Tooth almost fell from the sky and Sandy woke up from his nap. "Ombric?" They asked puzzled as one a strong teasing tugged at their memories struggling to get loose.

Tooth and Bunny frowned, the name sounded familiar, but they couldn't pinpoint why. It teased at their memories stronger as they whispered the name to themselves. Sandy gave a silent gasp and then his sand was in a whirlwind, he was talking so fast. No one could keep up. Also he was accidentally flinging dream sand everywhere. Left, right, forward and backwards Bunny's egg workers were falling asleep. Tooth dodged by flying high in the air along with Jack, North and Bunny were not so lucky. They got hit, sending them fast asleep.

Sandy gave a sheepish grin and then pictured a tooth. He indicated the answers might be in Tooth's Palace. Jack and Tooth glanced at each other and at the sleeping guardians.

"Why do the ones that you put to sleep have to be the heaviest Sandy?" Tooth said as she poked Bunny with a foot as Jack searched North's pockets for a snow globe.

Sandy gave an apologetic grin, eyes blinking innocently. He lifted the two sleeping beauties with his dream sand as Jack tossed the snow globe to Tooth and she opened a portal back home.

As they went through the portal, Jack asked Tooth grumpily. "Did you know that North married Elsa?"

Tooth light up with a hug grin and nodded rapidly. "Oh she had such beautiful teeth and their grand-kids teeth are just perfect. Almost as perfect as yours."

"They had kids?!" Jack's shout of shock was so very loud that it woke up Bunny who rolled off Sandy's sand when they landed. He nipped a snow globe and went back to get some of his supplies for battle just in case leaving Jack a sputtering mess at the shocking news.

The last thing he heard before he popped back over to his burrow was, "What do you mean North was a very handsome man when he was younger?!"